Bagh Jatra

The Bagh Jatra of Pokhara is another cultural baggage brought by Newars from Kathmandu.
The festival has been celebrated in Pokhara for about 150 years. It expresses the people's joy at their deliverance from a marauding tiger. On the first day, people dressed up like hunters make an appearance accompanied by musical bands. The next day is an interlude devoted to the showing of comic programs.
The Bagh Jatra of Pokhara is another cultural baggage brought by Newars from Kathmandu, celebrated in early august. The festival has been celebrated in Pokhara for about 150 years. It expresses the people's joy at their deliverance from a marauding tiger. On the first day, people dress up like hunters and make an appearance accompanied by musical bands. The next day is an interlude devoted to the showing of comic programs. For three days,the hunting party parades through different parts of the town before "slaying" the beast to end the festivities.

Bagh Jatra festival of Nepal
by Paras Sharma | posted: November 11, 2011 0 comment
Bagh Jatra is a festival that is celebrated with great joy by the local people of Nepal. The festival is celebrated in the beginning of the month of August. The festival is celebrated in Pokhara for the past 150 years. The origin of the festival is seen in a tale about how a tiger had unleashed terror in this part of the country and the difficulty with which the people had gotten rid of the tiger.
The festival marks the victory of the local people over the tiger. The festival is celebrated over a span of three days. On the first day, the local people don the attire of hunters and roam the streets searching for the man eater. There is music and dance in the streets and people enjoy themselves with the food and drink that is available in the local markets.

On the second day, there are comical dramas that are staged in various parts of the city and people go and watch these plays and make merry while they watch the program. On this day also, a lot of food and drink is available and you can go and purchase whatever you want.
The third day is the last and the most important day of the festival as this is the day when the people walk through the streets with an effigy of the tiger and finally kill it, thus saving the villagers from a lot of misery. There are many dance performances that are held and this tale is enacted in the dance performance.
The festival is a very colourful one and in case you only have the time for a small trip then visiting Nepal at this time would be a great option. While in Pokhara you can also pay a visit to the historical and religious sites that the place has. In case you wish to go for trekking in the Annapurna circuit that you will be pleased to know that the base begins in Pokhara itself, so you would not have to travel unnecessarily in case you plan to go trekking after the festival.
Getting to Pokhara is quite easy even though there is no direct flight from the UK to Pokhara. You can get a flight to Kathmandu and from there you can travel to Pokhara either by bus or train. The Pokhara international airport is under construction at present and as soon as the work is completed there will be direct flights from London to Pokhara.
The cost of the trip to Pokhara will not be very high and at the same time the city has much to offer when it comes to religious spots, natural beauty as well as sports activities. The place must be visited at least once to get a feel of the cold Himalayan air and the culture of Nepal.